Rita Liu: CCO at Mode & former CEO at Alipay (UK)

She spent just short of a decade honing her skills and rising
through the ranks at Alipay, the Alibaba-backed fintech giant,
before taking up the position as Chief Commercial Officer at the
feisty fintech group Mode. This is our conversation with the
inspirational Rita Liu, brought to you by Knightstone
Capital.

Rita joined Alipay in 2010 and was initially responsible for
driving partnerships with major Chinese banks. In 2011, she became
one of the founding members of the Alipay International Business
department and has since held senior roles in business development
and partnerships in Asia, the U.S and Europe. From 2015 to 2017,
Rita was based in London while serving as Head of EMEA (Europe,
Middle East and Africa) for Alipay, overseeing the company’s
overall business in the region, including business development,
operations and marketing activities.

Rita made the switch to UK-based fintech group Mode in March 2020,
a company with the goal of "transitioning the world to a truly
digital financial system." With Bitcoin and cryptocurrency becoming
a staple in the portfolios of investors across the globe, the
company is well-positioned as the first-of-its-kind financial app
in the UK. Although their services cover much more than crypto,
Rita Liu is driving the company forward and is already regarded as
one of the most influential female leaders in Fintech. Download the
Mode app today.

Here's a breakdown of what we discussed in the interview:
• Your personal journey has been a fascinating one.
Before we get too much into your recent history in business, what
was life like for you growing up and did you always have a drive to
be in business? (1:09)
• Could tell us about your history rising through the ranks at
AliPay and then moving over to your current position at Mode?
(1:56)
• Both Mode and AliPay have disrupted the traditional way of
working. On a personal level, would you say that you feel more
drawn to disruptors over more established traditional companies?
(4:19)
• You’ve played a key part in growing both AliPay and Mode. Do any
figures in your business life particularly stand out that you’ve
learnt important lessons from? (4:58)
• Do you think enough is being done to encourage women to grow and
feature in leadership positions within tech? (6:06)
• You started your position at Mode in March, which one of the most
turbulent times in history with COVID-19 really affecting everyday
life. How have you found the last year personally? (7:48)
• Do you think you’ve changed your leadership style since moving to
Mode and dealing with the pandemic? (9:00)
• One of Mode’s keen focuses is on Bitcoin. The mainstream chatter
of Bitcoin was high in 2018, it then simmered down but is being
thrown into the spotlight again recently. In your opinion, are
people who haven’t invested in cryptocurrency missing out on a big
opportunity? (10:21)
• BUSINESS LEADERS ANSWER THE INTERNET'S QUESTIONS - Why
don't we just print more money? (12:01)
• I would be remiss if I didn’t ask about Jack Ma, of course, the
founder of Alibaba. Have you met him? (13:51)

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